muf123

I stumbled onto the hot topic section of CC, essential "life skills" parents neglected to teach child.

I'm just not sure if this is an example of over parenting or under parenting.

I'm shocked to read parents post about their college students not knowing how to mail a letter, make a long distance phone call, how to leave a voice message or how to take a pill.

Here on the prep school forum I've read about high school kids navigating their way through international airports, call a credit card co. to report a lost card. At least most of our kids will know how to do their laundry before college.

This confirms to me that BS really helps our kids get ready for college or is it that our kids already know how to think on their feet?

GMTplus7

Guilty as charged... I shamefully admit that DS went to BS not knowing how to use snail mail. He didn't know where on the envelope to write the sender's & receiver's addresses.

We discovered our parenting shortcoming when he had to mail a thank you card to a dear aunt who sent him a care package.



On the bright side, DS can navigate international travel involving 3 changes of planes.

Sitekey

@GMT....don't feel bad about the thank you card. My DS came back from camp a summer ago and let me know one of things he had learned at camp was how to post a letter. I couldn't believe I hadn't taught him how to address an envelope. Thumbs down to email! Misery loves company.

ChoatieMom

I also read this thread on the college forum and was dumbfounded at how ill-equipped some college students are to handle mundane tasks. I remember being taught in elementary school how to do such things as write letters, address envelopes, make change, and answer the (landline!) phone politely. Seems e-mail, calculators, cell phones and other technologies have removed kids from having to learn some very basic skills. Not long ago, a friend related how her daughter had burned her hands rather badly by removing a sheet of cookies from the oven wearing only clear plastic food gloves--she'd moved into a three-person apartment at college and had never taken anything hot out of an oven before! Guess we've lost a lot of other skills with the disappearance of home ec, etc.

On the other hand, our kids seem to learn how to type via osmosis. Every kid can type, but I don't see typing courses at the the local high school.

SevenDad

I think one critical life skills area where many "kids these days" are grossly deficient is the kitchen. I supervise a senior high youth group at our church and at one fundraising dinner I asked a kid to open some cans of cranberry sauce — he looked at the manual can opener I handed him like it was from another planet, and had no idea how to use it.

BTW, I loved the OP's concept of "is this over-parenting or under-parenting?"...in the case of my can opener, it's a "two-fer".

RuralMama

My DS is <potentially> learning all sorts of new life skills, just in the course of 2 weeks at BS! It kind of reminds me of the 'There's a Hole in the Bucket' song:
Son: My laundry is dirty (dear mother dear mother)
Mother: So wash it
Son: I have no money on my school card (which is what the machines take)
Mother: So put money on your card
Son: The machine won't take my dollar
Mother: So get a nice crisp $20 with your new ATM card - I'm sure you'll need it!
Son: I haven't made it to the school post office to get the card

So many life skills to learn right there! by the time he gets to college, he will be so ahead of the game!